Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

NICOLE

One Month Later….

59

55 voucherS

The alarm goes off and I immediately crack an eye open and groan as I turn to my side to grab my phone and switch the damn thing off.

It’s seven AM-the reason why I’m waking up this early is that I have a job interview in an hour. I should’ve been up two hours ago to get ready for it, but it’s nearby, and anyway, I haven’t been putting special care into my appearance.

I just have to shower, pull my hair back, apply some gloss to my lips, get dressed, and get fucked.

I mean going.

Get going.

I sit up with a groan. Lately, I’ve been more tired than usual and I have no reason why. I mean, I do, but it’s gotten worse.

My mental health is on a gradual decline and there’s nothing I can do about it.

It doesn’t help that I haven’t been home since I left that stupid party. I’ve been ignoring everyone’s calls and eventually, blocked all of them. I can’t deal with anything I’ve done right now. And yes, that’s extremely immature and highly unlikable on my part, but my shame is crippling.

I’m having a hard time even looking in the mirror these days.

I figured I’d get a few days to myself to think about how I was going to approach things. The truth is that I was waiting for Roman to at least call and try to explain what I saw, because at some point, I convinced myself that maybe he truly loved me, and that his situation with Carmen was more complicated than I initially assumed.

But he never called. And I spiraled and sank deeper into this hole of shame that formed around me.

So, the days went by, and I couldn’t face what I’d done. I felt too ashamed-I still do. I’ve been staying at this cheap motel with really low daily rates, which is all I can afford. My savings are running out, though, and if I don’t find a job, I’m not going to be able to survive.

I kind of understand what Mason kept telling me-it would’ve been easier for me if I’d done internships fresh out of college. I wouldn’t have had a harder time finding something suitable.

My last resort will most likely be working at a fast food joint or even in retail, but I’m not ready to go down that road yet.

Gosh. There are so many things I wish I’d done differently. Yes, keeping Wings of Grace alive was a beautiful effort, and I’m sure Ma would be proud of me, but it came at a hefty price.

Still. I’m 25 and have the whole world ahead of me, right? It can’t be too late to try to establish myself in the

15:19 Wed, Oct 22

Chapter 31

world.

Z5%)

65 vouchers

I have a lukewarm cup of instant coffee before heading out the door. The job I’m applying for is for a secretarial position at this new law firm. It opened recently and I’m hoping they won’t be too demanding.

I’m the first to arrive, hence the first to be interviewed.

The man conducting the interview is fairly charming, with light brown hair and huge glasses. I don’t like the way his gaze lingers, though. I sit across from him, cross-legged, and watch as he goes through my CV. It doesn’t take him long because I don’t have that much experience.

“Well,” he finally says, setting it down. “I’m sure you know your chances aren’t great.”

I wasn’t expecting him to be this direct, but I nod and strive to remain professional and calm. “Yes. I’ve mostly worked with non-profits-”

“That your mother founded,” he finishes for me as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I don’t say anything else. He leans forward and says, “Look. You sound like an intelligent woman, and I quite admire your work and your passion. I have a deep respect for non-profit organizations. This could work, though. I’m not saying it won’t.”

I’m confused by his choice of words. With a small grin, he stands up and starts to make his way around the table. “I’ll be honest with you, Miss Monroe. I’m not picky about who ends up being my secretary. What I want —” he leans against the table and his leg brushes mine-“is someone…open-minded.”

His gaze takes over my body and settles on my chest. Without a word, I stand up, grab my CV, and storm out of his office. I feel his eyes on me the entire time but he doesn’t say a word.

I briefly glance at the seated women waiting for their turn. They all give me withering looks. I wonder if they’re willing to suck that guy’s dick to get the job.

Is that what’s happening these days? I’m pretty sure the two other companies I went to told me more or less the same thing.

I’m starting to feel really hopeless, but this country is huge and I don’t want to lose hope just yet.

The bad interview makes me unexpectedly hungry, which is strange because I haven’t felt hungry in a long time. I’ve been eating to survive, and as a result, I’ve lost quite some weight during the last few weeks.

And no one is to blame but me.

I enter a diner close to the law firm and order a proper cup of coffee as well as an English breakfast. For some reason, I just really want to eat sausage. As I wait for my meal to be brought to me, I resist the urge to go through my phone. Though it’s been pretty silent lately, I’ve been getting some notifications of Roman and Carmen’s upcoming wedding-it’s huge, and for some reason, everyone cares. Major magazines are involved. They’re on almost every news outlet.

It’s crazy. And so depressing.

I’ve had some time to reflect on what happened, and all I can assume is that he did it to mess with Mason. And for some reason, my brother knew. He tried to warn me but I foolishly ignored him. Haley was probably just worried when she saw me with Roman that day at the office, but she didn’t know how to intervene, so she

15:19 Wed, Oct 22

Chapter 31

waited for Mason to come home and deal with it instead.

59

55 Vouchers

And let’s face it-I wouldn’t have listened to her. I was on cloud nine, thinking I won the lottery. Roman lied and manipulated his way into my life.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify